Carlos Alcaraz involved in x-rated clash with chair umpire at Qatar Open
Carlos Alcaraz returned to action this week following the Australian Open.
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Topics: Tennis, Carlos Alcaraz
Marcus Chan
Topics: Tennis, Carlos Alcaraz
Tennis superstar and men's world number one, Carlos Alcaraz, was caught in a foul-mouthed exchange with the chair umpire at the Qatar Open.
Alcaraz, 22, kicked off the 2026 tennis season by winning the Australian Open earlier this month.
The Spaniard produced a brilliant performance to beat 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 7-5 inside Melbourne Park's Rod Laver Arena.
Following his triumph Down Under, Alcaraz was back in action this week as he took part in the Qatar Open, held in Doha.
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Having beaten the likes of Arthur Rinderknech and Valentin Royer, Alcaraz was up against Karen Khachanov in the quarter-final on Thursday.
During the first set, with the score tied at 4-4, Alcaraz was irked after being given a time violation by chair umpire Marija Cicak.
At the end of an epic rally that resulted in Alcaraz saving a break point, the Spaniard celebrated before going over to the side of the court to get his towel.
As a result, he was given a time violation; servers are given 25 seconds before play has to resume.
Cicak was heard saying: "I stopped the time," to which Alcaraz replied: "No you didn’t."
Cicak then doubled down, saying: "I did. I stopped time at 25 seconds when it started. Then you got the towel. Then I started the clock again."
After Alcaraz challenged her with: "How much time did you stop the clock? Tell me," Cicak responded: "Carlos, I stopped it til you reached there. I stopped it at 25 seconds til you actually reached the towel."
Alcaraz said: "Alright. So I’m not allowed to go to the towel," with the umpire again responding with: “I stopped it til you reached the area there where you asked the kid to get the towel… I can’t cancel it."
The exchange continued with Alcaraz blasting: "The ATP rules are always s**t. They're s**t."
Cicak then said: "Ok. Well, I think we got the point."
Speaking during his post-match press conference, Alcaraz branded the time rule as 'absurd'.
He said: "Honestly, I think the time rule is absurd. After a very demanding point, finishing at the net, sprinting to my towel, I practically had no time left. She (the chair umpire) told me she stopped the clock when I was on my towel, but from then until I called for the balls and prepared to serve, I had no time to spare.
"To me, that makes no sense. Besides, the crowd was still shouting and cheering, which also causes delays. I looked at the clock when there were three or four seconds left and I didn't have enough time to serve, but she still gave me a warning."
Alcaraz added: "Personally, I think there should be a bit more leniency, even a reconsideration of the rule, because in such tough matches, the same thing always happens, and to me, it's ridiculous."
Looking ahead, Alcaraz will take on Andrey Rublev for a place in the final. On the other side of the draw, Arthur Fils will go up against Jakub Mensik, who got the better of Jannik Sinner.